Juneteenth, celebrated on June 19th, is “the oldest nationally celebrated commemoration of the ending of slavery in the United States. Dating back to 1865, it was on June 19th that the Union soldiers, led by Major General Gordon Granger, landed at Galveston, Texas with news that the war had ended and that the enslaved were now free. Note that this was two and a half years after President Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation – which had become official January 1, 1863.” (). Juneteenth is seen as a time to gather with family and community, to honor the present and to reflect on a shared history and tradition. In 2021, .